Employer Branding and the Great Resignation

Avoiding the Great Resignation

You will have heard about branding, whether it is something you have chosen to focus a lot of time and energy on to date or not.  It is a combination of the image you portray to the world along with your values and beliefs, your product or service, and the way you interact with people.  These things combined create a feeling in people – good or bad – that gives them an impression of what your business is like to engage with.    But what about employer branding. Many businesses don’t give their employer branding enough thought, although it’s really important, especially in today’s job market.       

The employee/candidate   

With social media and job sites, as well as the rise in remote working post-pandemic, it’s even easier for candidates to find their ideal job roles in a wider geographical area. The pool of candidates your business is fighting to attract can be national, or even global.     It’s a candidate-driven market and many businesses are seeing a mass exodus of employees, dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’. There is far less risk to employees who are dissatisfied in their current roles right now and candidates can potentially afford to be choosier about the roles they apply for or accept. They can hand in their notice and feel fairly secure that their next job is just around the corner.       

The employer

For employers, it can be a scarier time, as an employer you need to demonstrate just how great you are to work for. And that’s not always easy. Developing and maintaining an excellent employer brand can give your business a competitive edge over its rivals.    Employer branding should encompass everything, from recruitment and onboarding new employees, to your company culture, and your values and beliefs. It will help you to attract, engage, and retain the very best people for your business. We all know, the people in your business are your biggest asset and key to success so your brand needs to be on point so you can attract and retain an excellent tea.  

So where do you start?

You could complete a staff survey, if you want real honesty it may be a good option to carry it out anonymously. You can also complete exit interviews for staff leavers, you can also consider stay interviews.  Websites like Glassdoor also allow employees to rate their employers.  Combining all of this information can give you a clear indication of how well your employer brand reflects what you want it to.    

You will already have an employer brand, even if it is something you have not spent time developing.  It may be a brand you wish to embrace and enhance – or you may wish to relook at what you can do to change it for the better.      

Linking your Employer Brand to your core values  

It’s really important to think about how your employer brand will align with your core values and brand identity. If it doesn’t, you run the risk of confusing potential employees, customers and even suppliers. This makes it even more difficult to connect and engage with people, and your credibility can go out the window, too. Do you want people to see you as a fun business to work for? Do you want to be seen as approachable? Ethical? Inclusive? Secure? Flexible? There are so many things to cover, so it’s important you begin this process with a very clear picture of what you want to become. 

Remember, your employer brand will work to differentiate your business from your competitors, just as your overall brand will. Take the time to make it very personal and mould it to exactly what you’d like it to become. Look at the research you’ve carried out. Does your feedback suggest areas that you’d like to make a significant improvement on? Which areas are you keen to strengthen, and which areas are already strong? How can you develop them further? Your employer brand may naturally evolve. As your business grows you may develop new values or even support causes that you weren’t able to before. Make sure you revisit your employer brand strategy often, making updates where necessary.    It’s really important to get buy-in across the board for your branding plan to be successful.    

People are key   

You may have heard this before: people buy from people. When it comes to recruiting in today’s job market, you’ll need to be prepared to sell your business to your candidates just as much as your candidate needs to sell themselves to you.    Your online presence opens you up to customers, potential customers, employees, potential employees, suppliers and potential suppliers, well to everyone! You should make sure that everything you do online also reflects your employer brand. If people leave reviews, take the time to reply to them – good or bad. Thank people for their feedback; address issues that are raised. If people start a conversation on your social media platforms, don’t be afraid to join in. The more involved you are, the more likely it is that your audience feels like they know you. This is a really good way to build successful relationships with not only your potential customers but your potential employees too.     

Make sure your website and social media accounts tell your story. Show off the people who are already working for you. Explain your beliefs and how they came about, demonstrate what you can offer, as both a business and an employer. If you can really highlight why your business is unique. The more you can communicate about your business and its core values and beliefs, the more likely it is that the people who share them will actively seek you out, rather than you chasing after them. And these are the people that you want working with you.  When people are happier and more engaged, productivity increases, but the more committed your team is, and the longer they’re likely to stay with you rather than being another statistic of the ‘great resignation’.      

Call me today to see how I can help you look at your employer branding.